Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

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UmbrellaFish
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by UmbrellaFish »

The simple and elegant early VHS and DVD covers are the best. I’ve never really liked the Anthology cover even though I get what they were going for with the treble clef. I think it bothers me because the Sorcerer’s hat is in the wrong place. Mickey looks like a rhino or narwhal with that horn coming out of his forehead. I hate the 2-Movie Collection cover— it’s not bad per se, but it has some little issues which once noticed can’t go unnoticed and become quite aggravating. The “Fantasia” logo crosses into the light blue border and Mother Nature doesn’t look herself. It’s also a lot more cluttered than the previous designs, which had enough sense to know that Sorcerer Mickey is really all you need to represent Fantasia.

The Peter Pan covers will be fun to discuss as it’s the classic whose had the best luck with beautiful designs in recent years— in some ways, prettier than the movie itself, I think.
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D82
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by D82 »

UmbrellaFish wrote:I’ve never really liked the Anthology cover even though I get what they were going for with the treble clef. I think it bothers me because the Sorcerer’s hat is in the wrong place. Mickey looks like a rhino or narwhal with that horn coming out of his forehead.
I like the idea they had with the treble clef, but I agree that it doesn't completely work. Especially the hat, as you said.
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Disney Duster
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by Disney Duster »

I think the treble clef is clever. I think it works.
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Farerb
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by Farerb »

Dumbo:

First VHS:
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Classics VHS:
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Masterpiece VHS:
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60th Anniversary:
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Big Top Edition:
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70th Anniversary:
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75th Anniversary:
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

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OMG poor Dumbo! The only ones well-drawn are the Masterpiece, 60th, and 70th. He's drawn so badly, and so are the other characters, in like every other cover! Easily the best is the 70th Anniversary. In my opinion of course. Second for me is the Masterpiece.

Now that I think about it...are all the Masterpiece covers the best ones, or at least the best drawn? Did they get prestige designing and drawing for the prestige name?
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by Mooky »

Of the films featured in the thread so far:
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Masterpiece Deluxe Laserdisc, Platinum Edition, or the Signature Edition (I HATE the font used though!)

- Pinocchio - Masterpiece VHS. Platinum Edition loses points due to the weird layout.

- Fantasia (excluding two-movie collections) - Masterpiece VHS, European BD editions, or the Dutch 2-disc BD (it does the glowing Sorcerer Mickey much better than the 60th Anniversary DVD)

- Dumbo - Masterpiece VHS or the 60th Anniversary DVD. Everything else is just plain awful. They really did Dumbo dirty.

You'd think that with the pool of amazing artists available nowadays we would have gotten much more detailed, on-model and generally better cover art in recent years, but Disney's like, nope, here's another ugly composition of previously used clip art. If you don't like that, we can commission an even uglier original artwork.

I just wish they were consistent with artwork or hired someone who can carry out a singular vision for the entire canon. Also, no framed titles or modern fonts in one release/within the same collection, then back to non-framed/original font the next release.
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by Tristy »

Disney Duster wrote:OMG poor Dumbo! The only ones well-drawn are the Masterpiece, 60th, and 70th. He's drawn so badly, and so are the other characters, in like every other cover! Easily the best is the 70th Anniversary. In my opinion of course. Second for me is the Masterpiece.

Now that I think about it...are all the Masterpiece covers the best ones, or at least the best drawn? Did they get prestige designing and drawing for the prestige name?
Well I wouldn't say The Lion King was the best one for the Masterpiece cover. I remember first seeing it and thinking how all the characters look different. Seriously, Rafiki resembles the stuffed toy more than the actual character and Infant Simba is way oversized.
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by Disney's Divinity »

The Masterpiece VHS is the only one I like (and thankfully I grew up with that one). The only other one that isn’t completely hideous is the 60th Anniversary cover. Such a shame to see one of Walt’s first five films has never received a great cover like it deserves—at least in the U.S. (Clarifying before someone posts something beautiful from another country like with Snow White. :P )
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by JeanGreyForever »

Sure Dumbo has a few had covers but that's true for most Disney movies. I adore the Masterpiece Edition VHS, the 60th Anniversary, and the 70th Anniversary covers.
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by UmbrellaFish »

None of those Dumbo covers are exactly “over-achievers”....

Like most everybody, I like the Masterpiece cover the best. Dumbo looks absolutely adorable and the soft colors are charming, too. The 60th Anniversary is fine and I have a soft spot for the Big Top Edition. It may have been my favorite if the Ringmaster and Timothy Mouse weren’t the same size... The 70th and 75th especially are both pretty ugly.

Some boutique steelbook maker could probably put together a really impressive cover inspired by “Elephants on Parade” if they haven’t already.
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D82
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by D82 »

I think Dumbo has definitely the worst covers so far. I only like the Masterpiece VHS, that one is great, but the others range from average to bad. The Classics VHS seems drawn by a child. The 60th Anniversary is not that bad, but is Dumbo's pose there from when he's drunk during the "Pink Elephants on Parade" sequence? I like the idea for the Big Top Edition, but not the execution, and it has that glaring mistake UmbrellaFish pointed out. And the 70th and the 75th Anniversary with the exaggerated ears are just ridiculous in my opinion.

Apart from the Masterpiece VHS, I also like this VHS cover for Europe we also got in Spain:

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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by DisneyBluLife »

Japanese VHS cover art of Dumbo. :)
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12084

Japanese Blu-ray cover art of Dumbo.
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Dumbo-Blu-ray/9683/
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

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Tristy wrote:Well I wouldn't say The Lion King was the best one for the Masterpiece cover. I remember first seeing it and thinking how all the characters look different. Seriously, Rafiki resembles the stuffed toy more than the actual character and Infant Simba is way oversized.
Oh, I just looked and you're right, it isn't drawn well. But the composition is good.
D82 wrote:The Classics VHS seems drawn by a child. The 60th Anniversary is not that bad, but is Dumbo's pose there from when he's drunk during the "Pink Elephants on Parade" sequence?
Lol to all that.

Omg, even the three other covers posted for Dumbo are absolutely awful! Sorry...my opinion of course. :/
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by Farerb »

I grew up with the Classic VHS, but the Masterpiece looks better. I also like the 60th and the 70th. The 75th looks weird with Dumbo's disproportionate ears, they were not that big.
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by Marce82 »

Interesting covers for Dumbo. None of them are terrible, but none is amazing either.

Now why do the latter two have the insanely big ears is beyond me. Its way off model, and looks ridiculous. I think the masterpiece cover is the best... good composition, well executed, nice coloring. And I also recall that in one of the vhs releases (international perhaps?), there was no border, and the artwork continued to the left, so it would wrap around and become the back of the vhs, showing casey jr, the mother and other animals. It is rare for a vhs cover to be all one piece of art (cover, spine and back).

The 60th cover isnt bad, but it is way too dark (Dumbo is a colorful film!)... and I remember looking at it back in the day and noticing some sloppy photoshop paint work on it.

The big top one... its ok, but there are the scale issues other have mentioned.

And the very old ones... they look a little drab, and Dumbo looks off model
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by Farerb »

Bambi:

Classics VHS:
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Masterpiece VHS:
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Platinum DVD:
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Diamond Blu-ray:
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Diamond DVD:
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Signature Collection Blu-ray:
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Signature Collection DVD:
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Signature Collection (Best Buy):
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Signature Collection (Target):
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by Disney's Divinity »

The Diamond Blu-ray cover is the only one I’d describe as ugly. The Platinum is my favorite, then the Target Signature. Bambi looks uncomfortable in the other Signature covers. :lol: The VHS cover is really well-drawn, I’ve just always thought the overall yellowness makes it look sort of cheap.
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by DisneyBluLife »

More Bambi covers overseas. :D

UK & Europe Special edition (Platinum edition) DVD
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bambi-Two-Disc ... B0006NKBZA

Bambi 2-movie collection DVD (2006 version)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bambi-Great-Pr ... B000EGCD46

Diamond Edition DVD and/or Blu-ray cover in Europe and Japan
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bambi-DVD-Uk-R ... B00PQMQPEW

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Bambi-Blu-ray/75553/
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by UmbrellaFish »

I don’t dislike any of the Bambi covers. I am partial to the Platinum and the old VHS covers, particularly the Masterpiece Edition although the Classics version features Bambi in a pose that reminds me of a book I had as a child. The Diamond Edition is the only one I’d say isn’t up to snuff, but I do remember finding the different title orientation a breath of fresh air at the time. But after almost a decade of such designs, I’m ready for the vertical style to just go away completely. All in all, Bambi’s been treated pretty well on home video. Even its sequel had a handsome initial release— perhaps subsequent editions did, too, but I don’t recall them in detail (I think actually the reissues may have simply reused the old cover?) and I own the 2006 Bambi II DVD.

You know, even though I own both the Diamond and Signature Blu-rays, I’ve yet to watch Bambi in HD. And I like the movie! I should fix this soon...
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Re: Comparing Home Releases Cover Arts

Post by JeanGreyForever »

I like the Classic VHS cover a lot and the Best Buy and Target Exclusive covers for the Signature Edition. The Platinum is pretty decent as well.
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